We decided not to cross the line.

Episode 77. New phone

I shook my head hard.




If it was a dream, I’d wake up,

and if it was reality, I had to pull myself together quickly.




"Julian. Is this a dream?"




"Pfft...

It's not a dream. It's reality."





"Is it real that Julian kissed me too?"




"Yes. That’s real too."




"Why?"




"Because I like you.

I want to meet you.

I want to get to know what kind of person you are better.

The person I met in front of the ice cream shop yesterday

was your boyfriend, right?

Because of that person,

you’ve been struggling both yesterday and today.

So Rouang came a day early too.

Am I wrong?"





"How do you know everything?

Did I spill everything while I was drunk?"




"No...
 
You’re telling me everything with your facial expressions."





"I need to... sit down.

I’m so dizzy... I feel awful."





He took me to the hotel garden,

and helped me sit on a bench.




As I sat down on the bench, I said to him,




"I’m not really sure what’s right either.

I still think about that person.

But if that’s okay...

let’s meet.

Let’s get to know each other, like Julian said, and see what kind of person we are."





"Really?

I thought you’d refuse.

You mean it?"




Instead of answering, I nodded.




"Julian is right about everything.

That person made me happy, and then made me suffer.

I want to get out from under that person’s shadow now.

I hate that they’re suffering because of me too.

For both our sakes, I think we need to let go now.

I came here to forget it all, but

I don’t want to hurt again."




"I’ll make things less hard for you.

I promise."




He kissed my forehead,

and his lips felt warm.





With his support,

I went back up to my room.




He didn’t come into the room,

and said goodbye at the door.




"You should enjoy your trip too, so

I’ll let you go from now on.

Tomorrow, when you check out, ask the concierge

to call you a taxi.

Or how about I come and take you to the station?"





"I’ll call a taxi.

Julian should enjoy his vacation too.

Thank you. Take care."




"Wait...

How can I contact you then?

I don’t have a phone, and I don’t have SNS... hehe"





"Ah.... Right..."




After thinking for a moment, I said,




"When I get back to Spain, I’ll get a phone.

And I’ll email you.

Would that be okay?

Give me your email address or SNS."




After getting his email address,

we parted ways.




I watched his back as he disappeared

down the end of the hallway,

and he turned back and waved several times too.





After finishing my trip to France,

I got a phone as soon as I arrived in Spain.




I called home, and Suyeon, for the first time in a long while.

And then, after hesitating,

I called President Kim.




Until he picked up,

I hesitated several times about hanging up.




"Hello?"




"Taehyung-ssi... it’s me... Jeong-a..

Have you been well?"




"Oh!! Jeong-a!!

How long has it been...

Have you been well?

You got a phone? Is this your number?

Hearing your voice, I finally feel relieved."




He greeted me quite warmly.




"I heard... that Taehyung-ssi... hasn’t... been doing well...

I feel sorry that I was the only one who got away from that situation..."




"What did you hear, and from where?

There’s nothing like that.

I just did what I had to do.

So you don’t need to feel burdened,

and don’t be hard on yourself."





"Thank you... for saying that...

Actually, I met Hoon-ji in Paris."




"Ah... I heard.

But why did you leave without saying anything on the last day?

Did you leave because you heard something?"





"Honestly, I wavered a bit in Paris...

I realized how foolish that was."





".... Hoon-ji had a really hard time after coming back from Paris."





"So, the thing is...

I have a boyfriend here.

I want to say that it’s completely over with Hoon-ji now...

but I was hoping you could pass that on for me..."





"What?

You want me to believe that right now?"





"It’s true...

After leaving Paris, I happened to meet him at my next destination...

Even though it was only for a short while, spending time together

made me want to get to know what kind of person he is.

He seems like a good person, so I’m planning to see him."





"Jeong-a...

You can’t just trust other people so easily like that.

And someone you met while traveling, of all people... how can you trust them?

You can’t do this just to make Hoon-ji give up on you..."





I’ll take care of my own business.

Anyway, I called because I wanted

to say I’m sorry and thank you to Taehyung-ssi.

I’m hanging up now. Take care."





After hanging up,

finishing off one assignment I’d put off because I didn’t want to do it
 
felt like a huge relief.




And then, I emailed Julian.

With my new phone number included...




"I... don’t believe what you said."